2019 Lebanese protests
The 2019 Lebanese protests were a series of countrywide protests against the Lebanese government in response to governmental corruption, economic downturn, and planned taxes on gasoline, tobacco, and WhatsApp. The protests, the largest since the 2005 Cedar Revolution, resulted in the resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri on 29 October. Background In late 2019, Lebanon suffered from a dollar shortage which rendered businesses unable to import goods and a black market emerging. Prime Minister Saad Hariri responded with austerity measures, increasing taxes and reducing public spending; by October 2019, gas stations were on strike, 100 locations in Lebanon were suffering from preventable wildfires due to the inability of the government to respond, and taxes were levied on gasoline, wheat, and online phone calls. On 17 October, the government announced plans to increase the state budget for 2020, and the government proposed new taxes on gasoline, tobacco, and WhatsApp, leading to the start of a protest movement. Protests Protests broke out in Beirut on 17 October 2019, and, on 18 October, protestors in Nabatiyeh and Tripoli attacked the offices of Hezbollah, the Amal Movement, and the Free Patriotic Movement, who controlled the government. Further strikes broke out, and Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt organized further protests in Aley, Bhamdoun, and Baakline. On 19 October, Amal militants opened fire on protesters in Tyre, and, that same day, the Lebanese Forces resigned from the cabinet in protest at the government's handling of the crisis. On 20 October, in the largest demonstrations since 2005, hundreds of thousands of protesters gathered across the country. On 21 October, a general strike was called across the country. Several motorcyclists carrying Hezbollah and Amal flags tried to infiltrate the protests in Beirut, but the Lebanese Army foiled their attack. Despite calls from President Michel Aoun, the protests continued for a second week starting on 25 October, and Hezbollah militants continued to clash with protesters in Beirut. On 29 October, the military was again forced to intervene after black-clad Hezbollah and Amal militants stormed the protest camps in Beirut and set fire to the tents, threw plastic chairs, and assaulted protesters. That afternoon, Prime Minister Hariri announced his resignation; protestors celebrated the news with fireworks, songs, and flagged colored balloons. On 30 October, a number of major roads were blocked again, including those in Sidon and the Bekaa Valley. On 31 October, President Aoun addressed the nation and promised to fight corruption, ensure political stability, eliminate terrorism, and return Syrian refugees, as well as appoint specialists and not political loyalists to his government. Almost immediately after the address, protesters blocked the roads of Sidon, Bekaa, and Khaldeh, took over Tripoli's al-Nour Square and Beirut's George Haddad Highway, and demanded new parliamentary elections and the formation of a technocratic government. On 3 November, hundreds of protesters marched in southern Nabatieh despite being threatened with violence, and, on that same day, Hezbollah thugs attacked the protesters blocking the roads in Beirut. On 6 November, hundreds of students and universities went on strike to join the protests, and protestors sat in at government ministries, the Elictricite Du Liban offices, and Zaitunay Bay property development sites in Beirut. Category:Protests